Frequent contributor Alina Simone was born in a Russian-speaking part of Ukraine. Sometimes when she's feeling nostalgic, she goes to a Russian pirate-themed restaurant in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn -- a bastion of Russian-speaking immigrants.

You wouldn't wish anyone to have a childhood that started in war-torn Somalia. But in the real-life story of pirates who commandeered a US cargo ship and were pursued by US Navy SEALs, Barkhad Abdi says his few early years in Somalia helped him in his co-starring role.

You wouldn't wish anyone to have a childhood that started in war-torn Somalia. But in the real-life story of pirates who commandeered a US cargo ship and were pursued by US Navy SEALs, Barkhad Abdi says his few early years in Somalia helped him in his co-starring role.

Frequent contributor Alina Simone was born in a Russian-speaking part of Ukraine. Sometimes when she's feeling nostalgic, she goes to a Russian pirate-themed restaurant in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn -- a bastion of Russian-speaking immigrants.